Questions & Answers – January 27, 2011

Nitesh: Is God brahmachari? Why should we perform brahmacharya before doing bhakti?Swami Ramswarup: Almighty God has unlimited pious qualities amongst which some are that He is Formless, Omnipresent, Omniscient, Almighty, creates, nurses and destroys the universe. Yajurveda states that He is “Shuddham Apaap Viddham” i.e., He is the purest and away from all kinds of sins. He is away from indulgence in any deed or facing any result of deeds. So, now you can yourself imagine from above discussion about Almighty God.

Brahamcharya is the first requirement to start worship. In the absence of maintaining brahamcharya, our body will not be purified and we will always lack physical and mental strength. Five perceptions, five senses, mann and buddhi cannot be controlled unless brahamcharya is observed. Then nobody can meditate properly. Even the worship without brahamcharya will also give heap of sorrows.

Auqib: Respected sir, I have a question, regarding re-birth. It’s a very logical question. I have come to know that according to Hinduism the current state of a person in his life be that rich or poor is directly related to the deeds of the person in his previous life….So if a person is poor and his condition is very weak, is that because of the evil deeds that person has committed in his previous life. If that is the case, so doesn’t it kill the very purpose of helping someone who is poor and weak. why should i help someone who i see as a poor man but that person could have been a rapist or a criminal in his previous life… I would let that person suffer for this sins… Please explain me this phenomenon with quoted references. thanks..:)Swami Ramswarup: My good wishes to you and I pray for your long, happy life. Yes, please. As also stated in Rigveda mantra 10/135/1,2 every soul takes body(takes birth) to face the result of previous lives’ deeds – good or bad., in the shape of happiness and sorrows respectively. And whatever he’ll do in present life, he’ll face its result in next rebirths.

However, in Vedas, God has also preached that to discharge the responsibilities by showering mercy on the poor and needy by helping them through donations etc. so, the poor persons are facing the result of their previous lives’ deeds but the rich person have also been told to help the poor. All Vedas and other holy granths like six Shastras, Upnishads etc., preach us to do Yajyen. The meaning of yajyen wherein services towards parents, atithi, spiritual master are stated, as –

Yajyen means Devpooja, sangatikarann, daan. Devpooja means services rendered to five dignitaries who are called dev/devta. Those five dignitaries are- mother, father, atithi (guest who knows at least one Veda), acharya (learned of Vedas and yoga) and God. in addition, one should give respect and love to elders and shower love to younger ones.

Sangatikarann means services given to a true religious master at one’s level best so as to gain the spiritual education in return.

Daan means donation. Donation is to be given to the true spiritual master who is learned of Vedas, yoga philosophy and other holy granths and after doing true worship he should’ve gained full control over his senses, mind and perceptions. In addition, donation is given to real needy person. The said knowledge is attained in agnihotra, hawan and yajyen. Now, the yajyen means where the learned of four Vedas presides and Agnihotra is being conducted by offering aahutis in proper way under guidance of Brahma. Again, I may tell you that Brahma means alive, learned spiritual master who knows four Vedas, Ashtang Yoga Philosophy.

Atharvaveda mantra 9/10/16 states –(APANG ETI) soul gets lower birth like birds, animals etc.(PRANG) get also birth in upper class like Rishi Munis, learned (spiritual as well as pious worldly matter) lower and upper births are based on bad and good deeds respectively, as stated in above quoted Rigveda Mantra.

Atharvaveda mantra 10/8/3 states- (TISTRAHA PRAJAHA) having Raj, Tam and Satva the three qualities, the human beings (HA) sure (ATI AAYAM AAYAN) takes birth again and again but (ANYAHA) other souls (ARKAM ABHITAHA NI AVISHANTA) exist near God i.e., those who do pious deeds, they get salvation. Rigveda mantra 10/51/3 states that based on good or bad deeds, God awards the human body or other living being body to soul. Prashnopnishad states about the cycle of birth and death, based on good and bad deeds. It states about Dakshinnayan, Uttarayan, Pitriyaan and Devyaan path of birth and death. Dakshinnayan means the path of life to do only those deeds for family which sustain it. In this path, a person is desirous of getting children and becoming father, grandfather etc. So, being indulged in only worldly affairs (Prakriti cycle) he takes birth again and again to fulfill his desires of becoming father, grand-father etc., either in upper or lower birth, as the case maybe. The Uttarayan path is the path where a person by maintaining Brahamcharya, doing Tapasya, worship etc., does hard, pious deeds to realise God, while discharging all moral duties. But due to his pious eternal, Vedic worship, one day such person becomes ascetic and has control on his desires and has command on his five senses, perceptions, mind and intellect.

In addition, Almighty God has preached in all Vedas, like Rigveda mandal 10 sukta 117 states about donation. Article on which is appended below:-

Donation

About donation all four Vedas give preach. Rigveda mandal 10 Sukta 117 mostly says about donation. Mantra 1 of the said sukta says — it is not only hungry who meet with the death but he who is rich and has all kinds of food also faces death. So, one has to leave this body definitely one day.

We can take with us only the result of pious deeds like donation and mantra says— he who donates food, money etc., then his donation never goes in vain and his assets do not even decrease. But those who do not donate, they never get satisfaction, peace and never realize God.

In the next mantra too it is said— those who are rich having food, money etc., but do not donate to the needy, poor and hungry etc., they never get peace and never realize God. In the next mantra 3 it is said that— one should always donate to the poor, needy persons. In the next mantra 4 it is said that— the richest must help the others. The next mantra 5 says— the assets never remain to one person only. Assets ever go hither and thither like a bullock cart. So one should donate.

Next mantra 6— says that the money and food etc., must be respectfully donated to a spiritual learned of Vedas and Ashtang yoga philosophy, true saints otherwise if rich utilize their property for their own sake and eat for their own self, then they will be called sinner and they eat sins. The next mantra 7 says— a farmer if cultivates with plough then he gets crops. But that farmer who has facility of plough etc., and does not plough then he cannot get crops and thus he is not wise. If one has the facility of cart/cars etc., then he uses them otherwise he cannot.

A learned of Vedas and Ashtang yoga philosophy who preaches is superior to those learned saints who do not deliver preach, similarly those who are rich with all foods, wealth etc., and donate are superior to those who are richest and do not donate. So one should always donate . Mantra 9 says— A man has two arms but both arms do not discharge equal duties. If a baby is being nursed by two wet nurses (dhaiyan in Hindi) then they do not feed the baby with equal quantities of milk. Twins have no equal strength. Two rich members of a family do not feed with food and money to an authorized person equally. Therefore, the donation must not be based on competition etc., but it should always be based on faith.

Samveda is an Upasana kand i.e., preaches about worship. Main worship is Yajyen and Ashtang yoga philosophy. Yajyen means devpooja, sangtikarann daneshu (daneshu means donation). Yaj dhatu makes the word Yajyenwhcih gives sense of devpooja, sangtikarann, daan. All four Vedas like Yajurveda mantra 2/23 states if any matter is not used in Yajyen for the welfare of human beings then the same is used by culprits. Yajyen spreads all the matters equally to all. Secondly in Yajyen Yajmaan donates to his Acharya as well as to the followers. That is why above Rigveda mantra 10/117/6 states that he who utilizes his assets or food for his own sake, it means he eats sin i.e., he is indulged in sins. So donation is must.

Swami Ramswarup: My blessings to you. Atma gets body in the womb of mother. The body is made of five matters of prakriti i.e., Agni, Vaayu, Jal, Aakash, Prithivi. The body of human beings or other living beings is provided by God based on previous lives’ deeds good or bad. So, Atma (soul) does not make contact with prakriti but soul is forced to take birth of human being or other living beings, based on his previous lives’ deeds.